Farm to School BIG DAY OF ACTION on Thursday, October 22nd

Farm to School Month has been a smash hit so far – folks around the country are sharing their stories and making the case for why farm to school matters. Now it’s time to take it to the next level!

This year, we’re making Farm to School Month more than just a celebration – it’s a time for action, and a time to WIN BIG for federal farm to school funding. That’s because Congress is at work right now on a new version of the Child Nutrition Act, the large bill that funds the USDA Farm to School Grant Program and many other important programs for kids. They were supposed to get it done by October 1, but they’ve fallen behind schedule. To ensure strong farm to school programs nationwide, today’s the day to tell Congress: we need a new bill, and it needs to have stronger support for farm to school!

Here’s how you can pledge your support to farm to school as we celebrate Farm to School Month and join together in the Big Day of Action on Thursday, October 22nd:

POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA (sample posts below)

Are you ready? We are! Tomorrow’s the big day! Join us for the Big Day of Farm to School Action! http://sustainableagriculture.net/take-action/

Stand with us today and take action for #farmtoschool! SHARE this image, SHOW everyone why #farmtoschool matters through photos, and SPEAK OUT to Congress! Get everything you need to take action here: http://sustainableagriculture.net/take-action/

We at [your organization] support #farmtoschool because [your reasons here! It helps farmers succeed, it fosters healthy kids, etc] That’s why today we’re joining the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and the National Farm to School Network in calling for more support for farm to school in the Child Nutrition Act reauthorization! Join us in supporting #moreF2SinCNR: take action today! http://sustainableagriculture.net/take-action/

We encourage you to either share our graphic (below) OR – even better – use a photo of your own that helps illustrate why you support farm to school!

2. SHARE A PHOTO ON SOCIAL MEDIA of your school garden (or orchard, or greenhouse…) or a photo of students at lunch with the statement: Here’s #farmtoschool in action in [your community]! We support #moreF2SinCNR. Feel free to add to and customize this statement! (Bonus points: tag your legislators on the post so they can see it too! You can find their handles by looking them up on Govtrack.)

3. Are you a farmer? SHARE A PHOTO OF YOUR FIELDS (or a selfie with your harvest!) on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with the with the statement: As a farmer, I believe in participating in #farmtoschool in [your community] because [your reasons here]. I support #moreF2SinCNR! Feel free to add to and customize this statement! (Bonus points: tag your legislators on the post so they can see it too! You can find their handles by looking them up on Govtrack.)

CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS and tell them what farm to school means to your kids, farmers and community – it takes less than five minutes and is so easy! Here’s how:

Look up your legislators (everyone has two Senators and one Representative) on Govtrack; their DC office phone numbers will be listed! [NSAC will use Salsa phone #s here but if you don’t have a targeting system you can paste in the numbers or send folks to Govtrack]

Take a deep breath, pick up the phone, dial the DC office number, and share a message like this one with the person who answers the phone:

Hi! My name is [your name] and I’m a constituent [also let them know if you’re a farmer, a parent, a teacher, etc]. I’d like to share a message with [your legislator’s name], please. The message is: please support farm to school efforts in [your community] by supporting the inclusion of the Farm to School Act of 2015 in the Child Nutrition Act reauthorization! We are counting on you to stand with our community’s farmers and kids on this important issue.

(We can’t say it enough: phone calls are FAST, EASY, and one of the BEST things you can do! Try it today!)

All children should have access to healthy school lunches and buying from local farmers not only provides access to super . Supporting diversified family farmers that take care of land and animals and supporting fresh, wholesome lunches for students by bringing farms and schools together is one of the best things we can do for the next generation. Let’s feed our future the good stuff!